To Know You're in Trouble
by Dracoisalooker76
Summary: Tip Bolton is in trouble, but he can't tell anyone about the bruises, especially not Troy's friends or his parents. Then Troy would be in trouble too. Dark!Troy
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is a companion piece to "Learning to Breath". That was just the idea, a one shot thing. So, just forget about that one, this one starts over from the beginning. The concept is the same as "Learning to Breathe" but...well, you'll find out.**

**Chapter 1**

_Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign.  
Instead there is only silence,  
can't you hear my screams?  
Never stop hoping,  
Need to know where you are,  
but one thing is for sure,  
you're always in my heart. _

_-"Somewhere"_

_Within Temptation_

Tip Bolton looked at himself in the mirror and stuck his tongue out. The mirror in the bathroom was just one of the things in the house that reminded him that he looked exactly like Troy. He was just a younger version of his big brother. They had the same hair cut, the same eyes, if there was a movie they could be played by the same actor.

His eye started to twitch from not getting enough sleep and he rubbed it, making the twitching stop temporarily. Sucking his tongue back in, he walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs, yawning before entering the kitchen. Troy was falling asleep in his cereal.

"Honestly you two," Elaine Bolton scolded, hitting Troy lightly with the back of her hand to wake him up. "You knew you had school today, why did you stay at that party so long?"

"How could I not," Troy said. "I was the main event."

"He was my ride home," Tip said. "When can I get a car?"

"When I get a new one," Troy moaned holding his head up. "You don't even have your license yet."

"But I'm close. I can get my permit soon."

"Then you have to wait a while-"

"Boys," Elaine said. "This is breakfast time, not fighting time."

"Where's Dad," Tip asked, noticing it was just the three of them in the kitchen. Jack was normally the parent telling himself and Troy to quit fighting and hurry up because they were running late.

"He went in early," she said walking to get her things from the living room. She grabbed her coat and kissed both boys on the cheek. "Troy, I need you to give Tip a ride today."

"Uh huh," Troy said.

She gave him a look. "And I don't mean down the street. Drop him off at the school. I don't want to hear that Tip was late because you made him walk."

"Uh huh."

"Troy are you listening?"

"Uh huh."

Elaine shook her head. "Bye sweetie," she said to Tip as she walked out of the room and out the front door. Tip looked at Troy and laughed. He'd fallen asleep, his face resting on the edge of the bowl. He shook his head and got himself an apple before shoving Troy out of the chair.

"What was that for?"

"We gotta go," Tip told him, pointing to the clock. "And please don't fall asleep until you get to school. I don't want to die today."

"Well then, why don't you drive," Troy asked, clearly irritated that he had to give Tip a ride. Tip raised an eyebrow. "If you're really that worried you'll never get to school, be my guest."

"You'd really let me drive," Tip asked curiously.

"What ever," Troy said, his eyelids drooping.

Tip shrugged, smiling to himself. "Get in the car," he told Troy. Tip grabbed his bag off the ground and watched Troy pretty much sleepwalk out the door. 'This is for my own safety,' said a voice in his head. 'I want to live today.'

When the car pulled in the parking lot of East High without a dent, Tip smiled. "Troy, aren't you proud of me," he asked. Then he looked over to see Troy asleep. "Ugh," he said. "Wake up you moron!"

"Hey," Troy said loudly grabbing Tip's arm. "Don't talk to me like that."

Tip jerked his arm out of Troy's reach and slammed the car door shut. Once he was far enough away and out of Troy's sight, he looked at his arm. A bruise was forming where his brother had grabbed him. He winced, the day he decided to wear short sleeves was the day Troy got mad.

"Tip, my man—Dude! What happened to your arm," Chad asked walking up.

"Um," he said searching his head for a lie. "I fell, tripped down the stairs..."

Chad grabbed his hand and examined his arm. "It's in the shape of a hand."

Tip pulled his arm out of Chad's grasp. "No it's not," he said quickly before running off.

Chad's eyes narrowed and cocked his head to the side. "Tip, what is wrong," he whispered. He felt it was his responsibility to look after Tip because Troy wasn't the world's best older brother. If something was wrong with Tip, Troy would brush it off.

"Hey man," Troy said walking up. "Have you seen Tip, he left his bag in my car."

"He went that way," Chad said pointing in the direction Tip ran to. "Did you see the bruise on his arm? Man, who ever did that's out to get him."

"He has a bruise on his arm?"

Chad nodded and Troy shrugged. "It's probably for attention. He's probably doing it to himself. I got to go give this Dad, he's got Tip for homeroom."

"Later," Chad said before walking over to Zeke and Jason. They were with Sharpay, Kelsi, Taylor and Gabriella, and it seemed they were just talking. "Hey, J, Zeke, come here," he said.

"What is it," they asked after Chad had led them away from the girls. "What can't they hear?"

"Keep an eye on Tip. Somethings not right and Troy could care less."

"Alright," Jason said.

"We'll do our best," Zeke said.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Troy grabbed Tip by the arm as he passed him and brought him in the gym. "What do you want," Tip asked.

"Here's your backpack," Troy said, handing it to him. Tip turned to leave, but Troy held his grip. "Don't you dare tell anyone I did that."

Tip nodded. "My lips are sealed."

"What are you going to say when someone asks?"

"I'm going to say what I told Chad; I bumped it on something."

"No," Troy yelled. "That wont work! It's in the shape of a hand. Here," he said pulling out a plastic circle. "It's play make-up Sharpay gave me last night to give Gabriella. Just put it on your arm, the bruise will be gone and no one will ask questions."

Tip nodded. "Now!" He sighed and rubbed the make-up on his arm. It covered the bruise well, but you could tell it was make-up and not skin. "That won't work," Troy moaned. "Why didn't you bring a sweatshirt?"

"I never wear sweatshirts," Tip said. "I prefer long sleeves."

"I don't care what you prefer," he hissed, pulling his green track jacket off. "Wear this, it will cover your arm."

"I don't-"

"Tip!"

Tip grabbed the jacket, scared that Troy would do something else to him if he didn't. "Fine," he said putting his arms through the sleeves. "Happy."

Troy nodded. "It's a little big, but it will do. Now, go do what you do best, my little brother."

Tip groaned looking down at himself. The sweatshirt was huge on him because he was a shrimp compared to his brother. Troy was a senior to Tip's freshman body, and the sweatshirt emphasized it. Not only that, but he reminded himself of the girls in his class that wore their brother's football sweatshirts. "Great, now I get to be a Troy follower too," he muttered to himself.

"Hi Tippy!"

Tip smiled and looked up at Bree. The only thing he actually lived for was her company. "Hey Bree," he said with a smile.

"You look awful," she said. "You really should have left that party earlier-"

"How was I supposed to get home? Troy was my ride." Tip shook his head. "At least he wasn't drunk, then I would have walked."

"You're brother wouldn't get drunk," Bree said matter-of-factly. "He's a goody two shoes."

"Are you sure about that?" Tip asked her, mentally thinking about the bruise under his sweatshirt. Suddenly the bell rang and Tip groaned. "So my day begins. Daddy, here I come!"

**So, I know, before you say anything, Troy is OOC. But, actually he's not.**

**We don't know what he'd be like if he had a brother, a little one at that. We can only assume because he seems like the goody goody kid in the movie, that he'd be the best brother (as I depicted in my Mack series). But, actually, he can be completely different around his friends than with his brother...**

**so enough of that.**

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, glad to know everyone thinks this is interesting. Thanks if you reviewed!**

**Chapter 2**

"Cold?" Jack asked when Tip walked in the room. Tip nodded. "First time you're not wearing short sleeves, your mom would be proud."

"Yeah," Tip said. "I was cold and Troy was nice enough to lend me his jacket."

"You two are finally starting to get along."

"You could say that," Tip said, rolling his eyes as he walked to his desk in the back of the room. He pulled out his iPod from his bag and put the ear buds in his ears trying to drown out the noise of homeroom. Kids were talking and smiling and Tip just shook his head. He tapped his pencil on his desk to the beat of the song, mouthing the words, until someone pulled one of the ear buds out of his ear.

He looked up into the face of his father, who was raising his eyebrows. "Hi," Tip said, smiling at his father. "I was just putting it away."

"If you see Troy, tell him I changed practice times. It's at four tonight," Jack said, grabbing the iPod out of Tip's hand. "What did I tell you about listening to this all the time?"

"That I shouldn't and I should be focused on school and basketball," Tip said seriously. "But can I have it back?"

The bell rang and the students stood from their seats. "After school," Jack told his son, stowing the music player in his pocket. Tip rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag before walking out the door to Bree.

"Ouch," she said referring to his iPod getting taken away. "Now what are you going to do during study hall?"

He laughed while rummaging through his bag. He pulled out his camcorder and smiled. "I think I'll make a study hall movie? Want to be the star?" he asked looking through the eye piece as he walked down the hall. "Study Hall, starring Bree McFarland."

"You know," came a voice from behind them. "It's not safe to walk down the hall with your full attention on that stupid camcorder Tip."

"Well, it's not safe for you to walk down the hall at all Lars," Tip told the boy. "Because you're contaminating everyone's air with your-"

"Don't even finish that comeback Bolton," the dark haired boy sneered. "It's awful, I bet your big bonehead brother taught you that one."

"If he did, I wouldn't be using it," Tip muttered under his breath as Bree put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Tip, ignore him,"

"Cute couple," Lars said laughing. "Bolton and McFarland. Walking her to class-"

"Herren!" Tip groaned at the sound of the voice. He turned around to see Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason walking up to the group. "I'd appreciate if you'd stop messing around with my brother," Troy said, walking up to Lars. "Pick on someone your own age, not in your grade."

Chad, Zeke and Jason laughed behind Troy. Lars growled. "Like you?"

Troy did a movement with his hands that meant 'shoo' and Lars stalked off in the other direction, muttering words under his breath. "Aren't you going to thank me?" Troy asked Tip. "If your going to take my place next year then you need to start speaking up for yourself."

"I don't want to be like you!"

Troy's mouth formed a thin line and he looked down at Tip as if he was a bug. He looked about ready to say something when he turned around and stalked away, Chad, Zeke and Jason following obediently behind him.

"Tip," Bree said.

"Let's go," Tip said, turning his back on where Troy had stood. There was silence for most of their trip down the hall toward study hall.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I've never heard you and Troy talk like that to each other. I mean, you never talk civil, but..."

"Look it's nothing. Troy just got mad at me this morning. That's all," Tip said, pulling out his camera. "So," he said, pointing the camera at Bree. "This is the wonderful, beautiful Breena Aoife McFarland, otherwise known as Bree."

"Tip as much as I'd love to be your star, we're going to be late," Bree said, smiling at the camera, and twirling her blond hair in her finger.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"See ya Tip!"

"Bye," Tip yelled as he shut his locker door, pulling his backpack on and walking to the athletic office where he knew his father was. He was going to get his iPod back, because he needed to listen to it while he did his homework.

"Tip," Jack said as they met in the doorway, Jack on his way out, Tip on his way in. "Change up."

"Why I already had practice?" Tip said confused.

"I want you practicing with us," Jack said, shutting the door behind him. "The more practice you get the better you'll be. Plus, do you really want to walk home?"

"What's he doing here," Troy groaned when Tip walked into the gym with Jack.

As if on cue, Jack called the team over. "Tip's practicing with us today, just in case Billy doesn't come back to school before states. I just want to make sure he knows the plays."

"But Billy didn't play that much if he played at all," Troy interjected. "I don't know why you'd add another player to the squad now, especially if Tip can't play on both teams. What happens if Billy comes back?"

"We need the bodies Troy," Jack said. "If Billy comes back, Tip will go back down to JV. But, in the mean time, with Aaron sick and Billy not coming to practices, Tip's on varsity."

"Tip my main man," Chad said, holding out his fist for Tip to hit. "We're gonna rock with both Bolton's on. Yeah!"

The team dispersed into their formation for under the basket plays. "But Dad," Troy said, holding the coach back. "Freshman never make the team. You say their too irresponsible and immature."

"Troy, what I say goes. We need the support of Tip on the team, okay. He wouldn't play instead of any of the senior starters. If he played for any of the starters he'd play for Mike."

"But-"

"Troy, go lead practice like a captain."

Shaking his head, Troy walked back to group. "What do you want to run?" Jason asked, throwing the ball to Troy. It dropped at Troy's feet and he walked to the three point line.

"Jason, run Diamonds," Troy yelled. "I'm going to watch."

Jason ran out to Troy. "Diamonds?" he asked. "But, that's the one that would go straight to Tip's position. Don't you want to let him get the hang of everything?"

"No," Troy said. "If he's going to play varsity, he needs to know the play he's involved in most. And tell defense to cover him. Tight defense, no lame letting him get the easy basket."

"Are you su-"

"Jason," Troy yelled. "Run the play, or I'll run it for you and you'll do suicides!"

Jason sighed and ran back to the group. Troy stood in his spot, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed, and a green eyed monster sitting in his gut.

**So...Troy's not a happy boy now is he?"**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, glad to know you're all liking this...(I think I said that last time.) Anyway, enough of my ranting.**

**Chapter 3**

Troy slammed the door shut and growled like a dog protecting it's house from an intruder. He couldn't stand being in the locker room where all his friends were fussing over Tip. "Tip you did great!" "Tip you're awesome!" Why didn't they just make Tip captain?

But, what was worse was Tip seemed to be immune to the attention. As the team cheered and laughed, Tip seemed to be off in another world getting ready to leave. And he was worried about homework, about not getting high honors because of history.

Troy hadn't been on the high honor roll since sixth grade.

Tip had always bugged Troy, ever since he was born. First it was the crying, then it was the annoying 'play a game with me Troy!' and then Tip always followed him around. That is, until Tip was about five.

You see, in the Bolton house, when you're five, Coach Bolton started to teach you the real game of basketball, with a real ball and a real hoop. Troy, who wanted to please his father more than anything, loved basketball immediately. He always wanted to be playing it, watching it or (once he knew how) reading about it. But, Tip, who had unbelievable skills, would rather make movies and study.

"_Did I do it right Dad?"_

"_Troy hold on a minute," Jack said before turning to Tip. "Here, hold the ball like this..."_

"_Dad..." Troy whined. "You missed it!"_

"_Troy! Be patient!" Troy put the ball on the ground and sat on it. Eight year olds didn't have patients, but Troy knew if he wanted his father to watch he'd have to be good. He looked over to where his father and Tip were and his eyes widened. Tip was dribbling the ball as if he's been playing for years, when in reality it was the first time he'd touched a real sized basketball. Even Jack looked impressed._

"_I'm bored," Tip said. "I'm going in the house now." He dropped the basketball and ran inside._

"_Great. Now Dad-"_

"_Troy hold on," Jack said before running into the house behind Tip. Troy shook his head with force, so much in fact that the ball he was sitting on started to move and he fell on his butt._

Troy knew Tip was the prodigy child, and that made his blood boil. Troy had to work twice as hard to get the same results, and Tip didn't even care about the sport. The only reason why he was playing for East High was because he didn't want to upset Jack. And what made it that much harder for Troy to handle was that Tip was getting good grades, made awesome movies, and was part of Key Club at the same time. Tip was the child everyone wanted.

He stuck the key in the ignition and let out a deep breath. Now Tip was on varsity and Troy didn't think that was fair. Troy wasn't allowed to play on varsity as a freshman and he played on the freshman team because the JV team was stacked with juniors who played like seniors. Tip was on the JV in freshman year, and now was on varsity.

And Troy wasn't happy about that. Not one bit.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"I don't get why we need to know about the ancient world," Tip groaned. "I mean, it's over with."

"Test today sweetie?" Elaine asked, looking as Tip's eyes frantically scanned the pages of his history book.

His head nodded. "Yeah, and I'm going to fail."

Troy snorted and rolled his eyes. Tip and failing didn't belong in the same sentence. He stuffed an apple in his mouth and slid across the floor toward the refrigerator. He grabbed a juice box before grabbing his bag. "See ya."

"Troy can I get a ride?" Tip asked. "I don't want to take the bus, please?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sure," he said, hoping Tip would pick up on the fake happiness he had in his voice.

"Great," Tip said. He stuffed all his stuff in his backpack and ran out to the car.

"I hope you don't mind," Elaine said to Troy.

Troy put on a smile. "You know, it doesn't bother me," he lied. "We're going to the same school, so whatever." He turned on his heal and stalked out to his car. "Don't touch anything," he said when he sat down in the driver's seat. "I don't want your grimy little finger prints all over my car."

Tip nodded and put his hands in his lap. "You know that if Mom wasn't there, I would have made you take the bus," Troy said.

"I though you would anyway, whether Mom was there or not."

"Did I say you could talk?" Troy asked. "I want you silent. Got it?"

Tip nodded his head and looked out the window. He was beginning to wonder if getting a ride with Troy was better than taking the bus after all. When they got to school, Troy turned to him. "I'll walk with you to homeroom. I have to talk to Dad," he said as if he was sure he'd regret it.

Tip nodded, not sure if he should talk. He didn't want to make Troy mad like he had the day before. He looked down at his arm, he'd worn long sleeves so no one would see the bruise. He looked at the tiles as they went.

"Don't hang your head," Troy hissed. "It makes you look inferior, look up at the people."

Tip did as he was told. He looked at the people walking passed. Their heads looking away from Troy as if he were a higher power. People looked at him as if he were a new prince. He hated the stares and the admiring looks people gave to Troy. Tip looked at the kids again, some of them looked at Troy, some of them didn't. It seemed like there would have been from three different classes if they were in ancient times. The kids that looked away were peasants, the kids that gave admiring looks were working class, and Troy was king, Tip being the heir to the throne.

It made Tip sick to his stomach. "Troy I forgot I have to go meet Bree somewhere," Tip said in a rush. "Bye!"

He ran down the hallway, everyone moved out of his way. By the time he was outside again, he was breathing heavily. "Tip," Bree said worriedly, walking up to him.

"I'm okay," he told her. "I just needed to get out of there."

**So, what do you think?**

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, heres the next chapter. I'd like to thank everyone who's telling me what they like and any errors I may be making. Those will help me become a better writer.**

**Chapter 4**

As the week went on, Tip steadily became afraid of Troy. Afraid to the point that when Troy walked into the room, Tip would book it as fast as he could into another room without it looking suspicious. It wasn't so much that Troy hurt him, it was the look in his eyes. His blue eyes held an icy glare when ever they met with Tip's.

So Tip kept to his bedroom, the one place Troy didn't wander. He sat down at his desk, looking at his math homework. His door creaked open, and thinking it was the wind, he ignored it. "Why are you ignoring me?"

His eyes widened and he turned his head slowly to the doorway. Troy was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and he didn't look happy. "Why are you ignoring me?" Troy hissed.

Tip's lower lip began to quiver and his body started to shake. He tried telling himself that it was just Troy, but that just made him more scared. "Answer me when I'm talking to you," Troy said, shutting the door and walking over. Tip tried to get away, and ended up falling out of his chair, pinned under Troy.

"I've been piled with homework and practice-"

"Practice?" Troy's voice seemed filled with venom. "Do you like practicing with _my_ team?"

Tip didn't know how to answer, and Troy twisted the skin on his forearm. He whimpered, something that upset Troy even more. "Whimpering? You've got to be strong!"

Troy lowered his knee into his younger brother's stomach and Tip let out a yelp. "Tip?" Jack's voice said through the closed door. "Are you okay in there?"

Tip looked up at Troy to see what to say, or if he should say anything at all. Troy nodded his head, not removing his knee from Tip's stomach. "I'm fine," Tip said, struggling to make it sound as if he wasn't in pain. "I just fell off the bed."

Once they heard Jack's steps going down the stairs, Troy glared at Tip. "That's the best excuse you could come up with?" he asked. Tip nodded. "Pathetic."

Then Troy stood, relieving Tip of the pain in his stomach. "I'm not done with you," Troy said, grabbing the door handle. "Oh, and Mom said dinner's ready."

The door shut with a silent click and Tip picked his head up off the ground. He looked at his arms, with were both covered in fresh bruises. He bit his lip before pulling up his shirt. His stomach was starting to swell and a monstrous bruise covered his abdomen. But what was he expecting. Troy had put all his weight on Tip's tiny stomach.

He lifted himself off the ground and went to his closet, pulling out a sweatshirt. It was an East High Basketball sweatshirt, and even though he didn't like sweatshirts, he knew it'd be better to wear one. He didn't know how swelled his stomach was going to get, and the last thing he needed was to get questioned about it.

"Tip are you cold?" Elaine asked when he walked in. He shook his head and sat at his seat. For most of dinner, he played around with his food, trying to make it seem as if he'd eaten it. Suddenly he felt a hand on his forehead.

"Nope, no fever," Jack said, withdrawing his hand.

"I'm not sick," Tip said.

"We were just making sure," Elaine said, taking everyone's plates but his. "Now eat."

Tip took as little as he could on his fork at one time. It hurt to eat. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Jack asked worriedly, as he watched Tip wince.

"Yeah, I'm just not hungry," Tip answered.

"Well, when you're done, Troy and I are doing some conditioning and basics outside. You should probably come," Jack said grabbing a basketball off the floor. Tip nodded and looked at his stomach. Doing push-ups and curl ups was not going to be fun.

"You coming Tip?" Troy asked, a smirk on his face.

Tip stood and put on his sneakers. "Yep," he said taking a deep breath. "I can't wait."

"Good," Troy said, although Tip could tell he was disappointed. Tip knew Troy was ready and excited to have a one on one practice with Jack. And the only thing that was giving Tip the strength to fight off the pain was the fact that Troy was upset.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"Tip, what happened to your stomach?"

He inwardly winced. He had tried to hide his stomach from the other kids in his gym class. "Um..." he said. "I was...um...practicing with my dad and Troy, when um...I tripped and fell on the ball."

"What about your arms?" asked Chad's younger brother Mace. Unlike Chad and Troy, Tip and Mace were merely acquaintances, only really friends with each other because they used to be on the same basketball team. They were from different crowds. Mace was a jock like his brother, while Tip was...well...Tip was Tip.

"I don't know," Tip lied, making it sound as if he truly didn't know. "Maybe it happened when I fell."

He grabbed his long sleeved shirt off the ground and put it in his locker. Some of his classmates had thought it was weird that he had worn long sleeves to gym class, now they all knew. Tip bit his lip. If it got out that Tip had bruises, like he knew it was, he was going to be in trouble.

He slipped on his practice jersey with the shirt he'd worn to school under it. He walked out and sat on the bleachers pulling out a bottle of Tylenol from his backpack. The medicine he had taken that morning had started to wear off.

"You have practice tonight?" Bree asked walking over. Tip nodded his head and swallowed the Tylenol with a gulp from his water bottle. "Headache?"

"Stomach ache," Tip told her. He looked over to where the Mace was standing. If Mace let it slip to Chad, it would get to Troy. He couldn't let that happen. "I'll be right back."

He stood and walked over to Mace. He looked over. "Hey Tip."

"Could you not tell anyone," Tip said, hoping he'd catch on.

"About what? Your bruises?" Mace asked. "Why not? It looks like it hurts."

"If you tell someone it will just hurt worse," Tip told him, a pleading look in his eyes. "Please just don't tell anyone."

"Is someone doing this to you?" Mace asked worriedly. "Is that why you don't want me to tell anyone?"

"No," Tip said, too quickly to be taken seriously. "No, just...please, don't tell Chad. Please. I don't want Troy to find out about this," he added, hoping Mace would think he didn't want Troy to find out because Troy wanted him to be strong. Everyone knew that.

"Oh," Mace said. "Sure, but who's doing this to you?"

"I don't know," Tip said as the bell rang. "Remember, this is our little secret."

"Alright, I'll tell the guys."

Tip let out a sigh of relief and walked back over to the bleachers to wait for the varsity team to come. Personally, he didn't care what team he was on, but Troy hated the fact that he was on varsity. Everyone picked that up after the first practice, where Troy made Tip run suicides because he missed a three point shot (which the team thought was unfair because Zeke had missed it right before Tip and didn't have to run.)

He heard laughter and he turned his head. Troy was leading a group of boys into the locker room, their bags slung over their shoulders. Sighing, he leaned back. Troy was in charge of practice because Jack had a meeting. And Tip just couldn't wait.

**So, what do you think their practice is going to be like?**

**Anyway, tell me what you think!**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, thanks for reading.**

**Chapter 5**

Tip panted on the floor of the gym. Troy was looking at him, and even though Tip couldn't see his face, he knew his older brother was upset. Tip was supposed to be doing curl ups, but his stomach began to hurt and he lost count after a hundred.

"Are you still alive over there?" Chad joked, throwing a ball over to Tip. It bounced off his foot and Tip just watched it bounce away from him. "Dude, is your brother okay?" Chad asked Troy.

"He's fine," Troy told him before turning to Tip. He walked away from the team and grabbed the ball. He then jogged to Tip. "Now do push ups, I'll tell you when to stop."

Tip's heart was pounding in his chest. He turned onto his stomach and hissed as the bruise hit the court. "Ready?" Troy asked. Tip got into position and nodded. "One...Two...Three..." After a hundred push ups, Troy deemed Tip worthy of practicing the plays, starting with diamond.

Tip looked about ready to cry from the pain he was in when he stood in his position for the play. Chad noticed this and motioned for the defense to huddle up. "I'll cover Tip," he said, looking over at the freshman. "Just follow my lead."

They broke apart and Chad covered Tip as planed. Jason shouted "break!" and they all moved to do the play. When Tip got the ball, he went for the lay up, ready to have to dodge around Chad. But Chad wasn't there.

"Chad!" Troy yelled.

Chad winked at Tip before turning to Troy. "Yes Troy," he said, as if he didn't know what he did wrong.

"What was that!"

Tip backed up into the group of players, afraid that Troy would blame him and attack him right there. Zeke raised his eyebrows as Tip went and looked at Jason, who had caught Tip backing up too. After Troy and Chad had argued for the good part of twenty minutes, Troy shook his head. "Go run suicides."

"You're not the coach," Chad said.

"Yeah? Well I'm the captain-"

"And you're treating Tip like crap!"

"I can treat whoever I want, however I want," Troy hissed. Tip was now against the wall at the back of the gym. He was shaking, knowing Troy was mad. The look in his eyes were there. The cold look, Tip knew very well.

"You've changed," Chad said. "I'm out, call me when we've got practice with the real coach."

Chad stormed out of the gym, slamming the door behind him. "Anyone want to go with him?" Troy yelled. "Then go ahead."

Troy looked generally confused when the team followed Chad out the door. Tip's lower lip quivered as Troy turned his glare from his teammates to his brother. "Look what you did!" Troy yelled, rushing toward him. Tip shut his eyes, ready for contact.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"What did you do to egg them on?" Jack asked as he put a bag of ice on Tip's eye. "That's going to be a black eye in the morning." He turned his attention to Troy. "Did you see who they were?"

Troy shook his head. "They wore hoodies and hid their faces."

"Tip how did you manage to get beat up so bad," Jack moaned.

"I don't know," Tip said, turning his head toward Troy. "They didn't like me I guess."

"Or maybe they had something against me," Troy lied, covering his tracks. Jack had no idea it was Troy that beat up Tip, and Troy wasn't about to get caught. "It could be someone from West High, right Tip?"

Tip looked from Troy to Jack before nodding his head. He hated lying, but he couldn't tell his father that his brother was hurting him. He didn't want to look like he was trying to get attention, and he didn't think his father would believe him.

Jack shook his head. "Troy watch out for these kids. I don't want this happening again."

Troy nodded, as if he cared dearly about protecting Tip. "I'll try my best."

"Tip if you see them, go find Troy," Jack said, placing a hand on his youngest son's shoulder making him wince. "Sorry."

Once Jack had left the room, Troy's sincere face fell. His eyes narrowed and he turned to Tip. "What are you going to tell everyone about the black eye?"

"I got beat up by West High kids," Tip said, not looking Troy in the eye.

"Good," Troy said. "Don't let it slip to anyone that I had any involvement."

Tip nodded and watched Troy leave the room. He rolled up his sleeves to see purple marks covering his forearms. They were the shape of Troy's hands, and he couldn't help but feel branded.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

By Monday, the bruises on Tip's forearms and stomach were beginning to fade, but the newest one on his eye was more apparent than ever. He tried to avoid glances from curious students, but he could feel their eyes on him.

"Tip what happened?" Chad asked, walking up with Zeke and Jason.

"Nothing," Tip said in a small voice, his eyes focused Troy who was approaching. "I just got beat up by some West High kids, that's all."

Troy nodded before making his presence known. "Yeah, it probably would have been worse if I hadn't found him. Remember Tip, I can give you a ride today."

"Wait," Jason said. "Why would you walk instead of get a ride with Troy?"

"I thought he was going to Gabriella's," Tip said, reading Troy's lips. "So, I walked-"

"And got beat up," Zeke said. "Look if you ever need a ride, don't be afraid to ask."

"Okay," Tip said quietly, his eyes focused on the ground. "I've got to go."

Chad watched him walk off in the distance. "You know Troy," he said, his eyes narrow. "It's kind of suspicious. We leave him alone with you and the next time we see him he's beat up and is scared to talk to us."

"Are you telling me I beat up my little brother?" Troy asked disgusted. "You know I wouldn't do that!"

Chad nodded. "I know, but-"

"But nothing. I didn't touch a hair on his head. I would never hurt Tip," Troy said. "I thought you'd know that. You're my best friends," he directed at the three of them.

"Yeah," Chad said, shaking his head. "Preposterous thought huh? Forget I said it." Troy nodded, but Chad's eyes were focused on Tip as he walked down the hall.

**So, what do you think? Troy's pretty persuasive huh.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think!**

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I'm updating so much because I have no homework and a bunch of free time. **

**Anyway, glad to know everyone likes this!**

**Chapter 6**

"Bolton?"

Tip turned his head to look at Ms. Darbus instead of the floor. She caught her breath at the sight of his face. It was true, she liked Tip far better than Troy. He wasn't as loud, and he always spoke up in her class, giving the right answers. Although she treated him as she did the other Boltons of the school, she knew that Tip was her favorite Bolton brother.

"Can you read next?"

He nodded and read out loud from the book they were reading, "The Pearl," by John Steinbeck. She didn't listen to Tip reading it though. She looked at him, analyzing him. She could start to see where he looked like his father, but his attitude was his mother's. She refused to believe that he had been beat up. When Jack had told her, she knew Tip wouldn't have gotten in a fight. It just wasn't his nature.

But, then again, Tip was related to his brother.

She knew Troy was a good kid, but she had never trusted his eyes. She knew that was what everyone commented on when talking to Jack. "You're boys have the same eyes!" Ms. Darbus didn't see it. She didn't think they looked the same. Tip's looked more friendly and kind than Troy's, they always had.

Looking at Tip now, she couldn't believe that he had been the reason she disliked Jack from the start. Before the drama/basketball feud between them, she disliked Jack because Tip had dropped a basketball in her flowers, and Jack just told her to get new ones.

Tip's voice broke her concentration. "Should I read more?"

Ms. Darbus shook her head. "No, that's enough Tip. Ginger, why don't you read."

Tip's eyes fell to the ground and it looked as if he wasn't paying attention. Had he been Troy, Ms. Darbus would have yelled at him for not reading along, but this was odd for the younger Bolton. The door opened, and Tip didn't look up. Ms. Darbus kept her eyes on him, but looked toward the person in the doorway, who happened to be Troy.

"My dad," was all Ms. Darbus heard of Troy's request. Tip's head jerked up at the sound of Troy's voice. His face worried, and his eyes searching the room for an escape. Ms. Darbus looked back to Troy with her eyes narrowed. She had never seen someone look so scared.

"Repeat that Bolton," she said.

"My dad needs Tip," Troy said, staring her in the eye. Troy had learned how to do that, it seemed, from the rehearsals. Ms. Darbus didn't scare him, like she did most of the student body.

She looked at Tip. His lip was quivering and he was shaking, although the class didn't take notice. Most of them were looking at Troy with wide eyes. "I'm afraid that's impossible Bolton," she said to Troy, while still keeping her eyes on Tip. "We're in the middle of an important reading. You're father can do his basketball mumbo jumbo later during your practice."

Troy opened his mouth, but Ms. Darbus beat him to it. "I know your father has free period now, but I'm afraid it will have to wait. Now get out of my classroom before I give you a detention."

Troy rolled his eyes and looked to Tip, shaking his head before walking out the door, slamming it hard on the way out. The freshman – whose eyes had gotten wider from the scene that played before them – looked back into their books when Ms. Darbus turned around. Every freshman but Tip, who looked up at Ms. Darbus in gratitude.

He was the only one in the class besides Ms. Darbus that knew his father didn't have free period until next block.

But his face also held fear. Fear that she knew something was wrong and fear that she might have just saved him from another beating.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Gabriella looked up at Troy, but his eyes weren't focused on her. They were looking at a wall at the back of the auditorium. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. His arms encircled her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head.

"Troy, are you okay?" she asked.

He was silent for a moment before answering with nonchalant "yeah."

"You just seem different, distant."

"I'm fine Gabriella," Troy said, with a smile. "Really, I'm fine."

"Okay," Ms. Darbus yelled. "Run it from the top! Bolton come here!"

He jumped off the stage and stood by her side. "Sit down," she instructed before yelling again. "Ryan! I want you to do Arnold!"

Troy's eyes widened. "What?" he asked.

"Sit down and watch Ryan. You're too stiff," Ms. Darbus told him. In truth, he was a great actor, far better than either Ryan or Sharpay if that was possible. She just didn't want him up there, after she saw the look on Tip's face when he had walked into her classroom that morning.

Troy rolled his eyes and watched Ryan play Arnold, the character he had won fair and square. Ryan seemed just as confused as Troy. He was Ernesto, Arnold's sidekick like best friend, and he had to play both parts, which made Troy laugh because it looked like Ryan was talking to himself for most of the rehearsal.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Tip laid on a table in the cafeteria, his head dangling over the edge with all the blood rushing to it. "Tip this is where we eat," Chad moaned walking in with most of team. "Get off!"

But, Tip didn't hear Chad, he heard Troy. His body tensed and his breathing went out of whack as he scrambled off the table. He rolled off the table, landing on the ground with a loud thud. Hissing in pain, he backed up into the wall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Don't hurt me."

Chad, Zeke, and Jason exchanged looks before running over to Tip. "Tip, it's me, Chad. Are you okay?"

Tip's head jerked back and forth, searching for the familiar face he had learned to fear. "Where's Troy?" he asked, shaking.

"He's at rehearsal," Zeke said. "Why?"

Tip shook his head violently. "It's nothing. I'm...he's...nothing."

"What?" Jason asked.

"It's nothing!" Tip yelled, pushing himself off the ground. Knowing something was wrong, Chad reached up to pull him back down. He grabbed on to Tip's forearm, but immediately let go when he yelped in pain. Zeke jumped up and grabbed him around the stomach so he couldn't get away, but that made Tip crumple to the floor, tears streaming down his face.

Chad pushed the sleeve of Tip's shirt up as Tip struggled to get away from Zeke who was holding him down.

**Ooh...are they going to find out? And what about Darbus?**

**Tell me what you think!  
**

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay. As I told everyone earlier in the story, Troy is going to be very out of character. No one thinks he could possibly be mean and abusive, but in my story, he has a problem. If you don't like the idea of a dark Troy, then don't read.**

**Also, I've been mixing up my "You're and Your"s. I'll try to fix that.**

**And, in chapter 4, when Tip was talking to Mace about his bruises and Mace said he'd tell the guys, he didn't mean his brother. He meant that he'd tell the other guys in the locker room not to tell Chad and the gang because they think Tip doesn't want Troy to know because that would make Tip seem 'inferior' and 'weak' to the all-powerful Troy.**

**Chapter 7**

Chad stared at Tip's arm, looking at the hand shaped bruise with curiosity. "Who?" Chad asked. "Was it Troy? Is that why you were scared?"

Tip shook his head, and pulled his sleeve down. "It was me," he said, covering for Troy. "I wanted to get more attention, so I did it to myself. Then I told my dad that Troy did it."

"Why would you do that?" Jason asked.

"I don't know."

Not convinced, Chad narrowed his eyes. "Why are you scared of Troy if he didn't do it?"

"And why is Troy being so harsh to you at practice?" Zeke asked catching on that Chad thought Tip was lying.

Tip took a deep breath. He was stuck, unless he could think of something quickly. Then an idea came to him. "Troy got in a lot of trouble when I told Dad and he got really mad at me. I know he wouldn't do it, but there's this look in his eyes like he's going to hurt me like I hurt myself."

"Troy's just trying to get even with you with all the running and push ups at practice," Jason said, summing up what Tip had just told them.

"Yeah," Tip lied. "I didn't mean to get Troy in trouble. He's just getting all the attention now, and I'm not used to it. I'm in the shadows," he added, trying to make his lie sound real.

"So Troy's not hurting you?" Chad asked, trying to get Tip to admit he was lying.

"Only my legs from the running," Tip said with a fake smile. "I promise I won't hurt myself anymore."

"Good," Zeke said, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "You can't be hurt, we need you Tip."

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"Good job Tip," came a voice from the door. He opened his eyes and saw Troy standing in the doorway. "Chad told me that you told him about the bruises. Glad to know you took credit for it."

Tip nodded. "I thought you'd be happy."

"But Tip you still screwed it up!" Troy yelled, slamming the door behind him. "You promised you wouldn't hurt yourself! How are we supposed to cover it now you brat?"

"You could stop-"

Troy's hands balled into fists and he marched to the bed. When he was close enough, Tip sniffed him. He sighed when he didn't smell alcohol. That meant Troy was doing this freely and his judgment wasn't blurry from intoxication.

This time Tip didn't fight it. He didn't tense up when Troy walked over. He let Troy's fist beat into his skin, taking the pain without moaning noises. He listened to Troy tell him he was worthless and awful. Tip knew Troy was stronger than he was, and he'd just be wasting energy fighting his older brother off him.

Once Troy was done, he walked out of the room as if they had just had a friendly talk. He shut the door lightly behind him, leaving Tip alone. Tip sat up in bed and stared in the mirror. There were new bruises everywhere. On his upper arms and chest there were red circles which he knew were going to be purple in the morning.

He had to figure out a way to cover up the bruises for gym. He knew Mace wasn't stupid and the more bruises Tip got, there was a better chance of Mace telling Chad about them.

And that was the last thing Tip wanted. Troy to lose his best friend. There would be serious consequences if that happened.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Bree looked at Tip then at the rest of the class. They all had shocked looks on their faces. Bree was shocked as well that Tip hadn't gotten yelled at for falling asleep in class, especially since it was Darbus' class.

She didn't know what exactly was going on at his house, but she knew it probably had to do with basketball. He had told her that there was a lot of yelling and he couldn't get to sleep at night. But, for some reason, Bree didn't believe him. Maybe it was because Troy was bouncing with energy while Tip could barely keep his eyes open.

The bell rang, but it didn't wake Tip, who seemed to be fast asleep. Bree shook his arm lightly. "Tip?"

Suddenly his head started to shake and his eyes were forced shut as if he was in pain. Bree didn't know what to do. "Tip?" she asked clearly worried about her best friend. "Tip? Ms. Darbus!"

Ms. Darbus rushed over, attracting the attention of most of the class, who were on their way out. "Bolton?" she asked, gently tapping his shoulder. Even though he was asleep, he hissed in pain. "McFarland go get Coach Bolton."

Bree nodded and rushed to the science room where Coach Bolton taught. She didn't know what she'd say when she got there. "Your son won't get up" didn't seem like the right thing.

When she got there, she barged through seniors who were trying to get out. "Coach Bolton!" she said, tears filling her eyes. "Somethings wrong with Tip."

Jack rushed out the door following Bree to the English room. When they got there, most of the kids had left and Tip was awake, tears streaming down his face, his knees brought to his chest and Ms. Darbus examining his arm. Jack knelt beside his son and pushed a lock of hair out of his face. "Tip? What happened?"

"It was a nightmare. It was nothing. I'm overreacting."

"Jack look at this," Ms. Darbus said, showing Tip's arm to his father. Jack was shocked at the shape. Even though it was fading, you could tell it had been a hand.

"I want to play for JV," Tip whispered. "I can't handle varsity."

"Who did that to you?" Jack asked.

"I did it," Tip lied. "I was taking out my anger on myself. I'm not good enough for varsity-"

"Tip when have you ever cared how good you are?" Jack paused. "Wait, who told you that you weren't good enough?"

Tip swallowed and looked up at his father. "Troy," he whispered loud enough so he could hear it, but not Jack or Ms. Darbus.

"Who?"

"No one," Tip said louder. "No one did. I told myself." He stood up and walked out of the room, Bree following behind him.

"Jack he did not do that to himself," Ms. Darbus said. "He's covering for someone. The marks were too big for it to be his hands."

"Then who would it be?"

Ms. Darbus didn't answer.

"Tip!" Bree yelled as Tip ran down the hall. "Stop!" He turned around, and looked into Bree's eyes. "Why are you hurting yourself?"

"I'm not!" Tip yelled, slamming his body against a locker. He moaned from the bruises on his back hitting the metal. "I'm not."

"Then who is?" she said. "Tell me."

"I can't," he said simply. "I don't know what he'd do if I did."

**So...what's going to happen?**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, I'm glad you liked the last chapter!**

**Chapter 8**

"Tip!"

He turned seeing his father walk up to him. A new bruise was forming on his cheek from his latest encounter with Troy. He bit his lip and looked up into the face of his father, a pit in his stomach. "Yeah."

Tip tasted blood in his mouth from a tooth Troy's fist had knocked loose. He swallowed, hoping the blood would go away. But just in case, he kept his mouth shut.

Jack lightly touched the bruise on Tip's cheek. "You need to tell me who's doing this to you," Jack said softly, looking into Tip's scared blue eyes.

Tip just shook his head. "I can't."

"I'm worried about you," Jack said, holding on to his son's shoulders. "Who ever is doing this to you has a problem. They need help."

"You wouldn't understand," Tip said. He knew, that even if he did tell the truth, Jack wouldn't believe him. Who would believe Tip? Troy never did anything bad in his life. "You wouldn't believe me."

"I would Tip," Jack said. "I promise you."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Tip hissed before breaking loose from his father's grasps and running out of the house.

"Little Tippy mad?" a voice mocked when Tip ran down the stairs. Tip turned around and growled at Troy who was leaning against the house, a smirk on his face.

"Get away from me!" Tip yelled. "I thought brothers were supposed to look out for each other. Not beat each other up!"

"Shut up you brat," Troy said. "Dad's in there!"

"I don't care. I don't care anymore! I hope you die and rot in the ground," Tip hissed. "You don't deserve all the attention you get, you deserve a prison cell!"

"Don't talk to me like that-"

"Don't tell me how to talk!"

Troy's face grew cold and he grabbed Tip's arm, yanking him forward so they were looking into each other's eyes. "I'm your brother!"

"I don't have a brother," Tip spat in Troy's face.

"Good," Troy said with a smile. "You'll be packing your stuff then?"

Tip shook his head and pulled his arm out of Troy's hand before running down the sidewalk. He ran as fast as he could away from the house, sure that Troy was following him. He took various routes, trying to lose Troy, before he stopped in the darkness. He realized Troy wasn't following him, and hadn't been. He cursed under his breath.

Tip had given Troy everything he wanted without even knowing it.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"Where did he go!"

"Jack," Elaine said, trying to calm him down. Jack just shook his head and turned to Troy.

"What did you say to him?"

"It's my fault now?" Troy yelled. "I didn't say a word to him! He pushed me out of the way and ran down the street. He wants to get killed. If those guys are after him in broad daylight, imagine what they'll do when it's dark."

"Troy," Elaine said in a warning voice.

Jack grabbed his jacket off the hanger on the wall and motioned for Troy to follow him. "Come with me to look for him," Jack said.

"No!" Troy said. "The kid's a brat. Let him go off, he'll come back. Or maybe we'll be lucky and he won't"

Jack sighed and threw Troy his jacket anyway while Elaine looked outraged. "Troy Alexander!" she shrieked.

The door flew open and Tip stormed in. Jack and Elaine gave a sigh of relief, although they were still slightly mad at him for running off. Tip barged by Troy, who was about to say something when Tip cut him off. "Stay away from me!"

"My pleasure!" Troy yelled to Tip's retreating back.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

"Bree," Tip asked seriously during study hall. He knew he needed to tell someone about Troy. He's come into Tip's room the other night and and put a pillow over his face. Tip knew if he wanted to live, he'd need to tell someone, and Bree seemed like the perfect person. "How do you tell your parents if you're in an abusive relationship with someone?"

"Tip, who is it?" Bree asked. "What girl would – or _could_ – hurt you?"

"It's not a girl," Tip said. "It's someone we both know very well."

Bree didn't seem to understand. She gave him a pressing look. Tip looked around, no one seemed to be looking or listening to them. "It's Troy," he whispered.

"You're kidding," she said, although she knew he wasn't.

"I can't tell anyone," Tip said. "No one would believe me. It's my word against Troy's."

"Wow," Bree said. "Tough one."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly."

"How long has he been, you know?" she asked.

"A while," Tip said. "It just recently got worse, like less than a month ago he started hitting me everyday."

"I don't know what to tell you Tippy," she said, sighing. "But I'm glad you told someone. I'll look on the Internet tonight. There's bound to be something on there that will help us."

"Thanks," he whispered, seeing the study hall teacher look over toward them. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Bree smiled, and Tip turned away with an embarrassed smile on his face. He had butterflies in his stomach.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Tip walked into the gym after school looking for his father. Chad had told him there wasn't any practice for some reason, and Tip wanted to know why. It wasn't like Jack to cancel practice for no reason. He heard a noise in the empty gym and he walked onto the court. "Hello?" he said.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his mouth and a sharp pain in his side. His eyes widened in pain and he heard a hissing voice in his ear, but he couldn't understand what it was saying.

He dropped the to the ground and landing in a puddle. The gym door slammed shut and there was silence. He touched it with his finger and found that it was red. It was his blood. In the distance, he heard the creak of the door, but it seemed so far away.

"Tip!"

His world faded to darkness as Mace ran up to him.

**Wow...well, tell me what you think!  
**

**Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sadly, this is the last chapter. Tear, tear.**

**Anyway...**

**Chapter 9**

Tip's eyes opened to slits and he could see bits of his surroundings. There was machines, four walls, a television and two blurry figures. He opened his eyes wider and one of the squealed. "Look, he's awake!"

He blinked a couple times, squinting at the light, unaware of his surroundings. Then the memories came flashing back to him. The empty gym, the pain, the blood and then darkness. He didn't understand what happened.

"What happened," Tip asked, looking at the figures, which he recognized as his parents. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. Tip," Elaine said, grabbing hold of her son's hand. "You're safe."

"What happened?" Elaine looked to Jack, who was looking at the ground. He was shaking his head, looking disappointed. "Oh, you found out about Troy?" Tip asked, knowing they probably knew Troy had been hitting.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"You found out Troy's been hitting me," Tip said. "Bree told you right?"

Elaine sighed. "So it wasn't out of the blue."

Tip looked at Jack, his eyes showing that he was somewhat surprised. "What did he do?"

"Tip, he was the person who stabbed you."

Tip didn't say anything. It didn't surprise him that it was Troy. Obviously, it surprised his parents, and didn't want to make them feel bad. "Tip, why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't think you'd believe me," Tip told his parents. "It was my word against Troy's. Who were you going to believe?"

Jack and Elaine stared at Tip, not knowing how to answer. They didn't know who they'd believe. It was the worst position for a parent to be in, picking one child over the other. "I don't know," Jack finally said. "But, it's over now. You're safe."

"Where's Troy?"

"He's getting help," Elaine said. "We sent him to a center where he could get help up in Santa Fe."

"So, he's going to miss graduation?"

"Yeah," Jack told him, sitting down in a chair. "But, it will be a lot better for him to miss graduation than not go get help. Enough about Troy, how are you feeling?"

Tip shrugged. "My back hurts a little, not much, but a little."

"You have some friends outside that would like to see you," Elaine told him. "Are you up for it?"

Tip smiled and nodded. Jack and Elaine left and the second they were out the door, Bree came running in, followed by a few others. "I hate you! You scared me so much!"

"So it's my fault," Tip said in mock anger. "You hate _me_ because _I_ got stabbed."

"Yes!" she said laughing.

Chad sat down in the chair beside Tip's bed. "Are you okay?"

Tip nodded. "Are you?" he asked, knowing it was probably hard to Chad to admit that Troy had actually been hitting him.

Chad smiled, before nodding his head. "Always thinking of others, even though you could have died!" Zeke teased. "Don't worry, we won the game."

"How long have I been asleep for?" Tip asked.

"Only a few days," Jason said. "Now, aren't you going to congratulate us. We won without either Bolton. That's an accomplishment!"

"I guess," Tip said nonchalantly.

hsmhsmhsmhsm

Tip stood up and walked three feet before grabbing hold of the pole that held up the basketball hoop. He was practicing his walking that had become hard for him since he was stabbed. For the better part of three months, he had to use a wheelchair and he could only walk during rehab and physical therapy sessions. Now, in August, he was finally getting a chance to walk, even if only for a few feet.

His legs felt like jelly from their lack of use. He heard a chuckle from behind him and turned around. "Are you laughing at me?"

Bree nodded. "It's just so funny to watch Tip struggle with something."

"Ha ha," Tip said, "very funny!"

"I thought so."

Tip walked over to his wheelchair and sat down, Bree sitting down in his lap. "Is Tip mad at me?" she asked smiling.

He shook his head. "Nah. But I have a question."

"Okay," Bree said. "Tell me."

"Alright. My friend has this mad crush on someone," Tip said confidently. "But, he doesn't know if she feels the same way. What should he do?"

Bree raised her eyebrows. "Well, he could shut up and kiss her."

Tip smiled and raised his own eyebrows, asking her silently if she meant what he's said. She rolled her eyes and leaned down to kiss him. "How did you know?" Tip asked her, a huge smile on his face.

"Tip, who else would ask you for advice on a girl, then you come to me about it?" She shook her head. "The only person I could think of would be Mace, with Chad leaving soon, but he has a girlfriend, so it wasn't him."

"What if it wasn't me?" Tip asked.

"Then," she said. "The guy should still just shut up and kiss her. It took _you_ long enough."

"Tip?"

Bree jumped off Tip's lap and looked at Tip scared. His face showed no emotion as he wheeled himself over to the gate. "What, did you get off on good behavior?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "I wasn't in jail Tip. But sort of." He sighed. "Look what I did to you. Can you walk?"

Tip nodded. "A little, not much. I've got to learn it all over again."

"Tip, I'm sorry. Something took over me, and I thought...I don't even know anymore. I just hope you can forgive me."

"I guess," Tip said. "I mean, we are brothers after all. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see Mom and Dad before I jetted off to college," Troy said. "Wanted to apologize...to you, mainly."

"Where are you going?" Tip asked.

"Umm...University of Massachusetts," he said. "I'm not a threat anymore, I've got a clean bill of health, but I've still have to go to stupid therapist and stuff. Chad still around, or has he left?"

"He's still around," Tip said. "Probably over at Jason's. He's leaving tomorrow."

"Cool," Troy said. "If I don't see you again, see ya and I'm sorry again."

Tip waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. I understand, you have – had – a mental problem. It's fixed, you're better."

"Have fun with Bree," Troy said, winking as he walked toward the house.

"Shut up!" Tip yelled laughing. "I hate you!"

"No you don't!"

Tip smiled and wheeled over to Bree. "So," he said. "Would you be my girlfriend?"

Bree smiled. "Are you kidding me? Of course!"

Tip smiled and looked back to the gate. It was shut, some of the white paint chipping off from all the times a basketball made contact with it. "So, school's starting in soon."

Bree groaned, sitting down on Tip. "Don't remind me! Should we tell anyone?"

"Let it be a surprise," Tip said. "I want to see how long it takes for Mace to realize there's something going on between us."

"That could be days," Bree joked.

Tip laughed. "You're right."

**So, the end.**

**How did you like it?**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Review!**

**And look out for another story, coming soon, by me. I don't know what it will be, but it'll come out soon.**

**Adios!**


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